London Travel Vaccination Clinic – Daily Update 11 June 2014

West Africa

The Ebola Outbreak in West Africa that started in Guinea and is also affecting Sierra Leone and Liberia continues to cause concern in the region. Travellers to this area of West Africa are advised to keep up-to-date with travel advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The outbreak which has a fatality rate sometimes as high as 90% has so far caused over 225 deaths across the region.

South Sudan

The resent Cholera Outbreak in South Sudan has been affecting may people who have been fleeing the fighting in the country. The outbreak has been caused by unsanitary conditions in refuge camps and crowded market areas. International health workers helping to treat patients have recently been forced to flee the area due to recent attacks.

The Caribbean

Chikungunya Fever has been spreading rapidly across the Caribbean over the past few months. The disease is spread by daytime biting mosquitos and causes those infected to have sever fevers and muscle pain. Travellers to the Caribbean should try and avoid being bitten by mosquitos by covering up exposed areas of skin and wearing DEET 50% insect repellant.

Vietnam

There has been a marked increase in reports of rabid dogs in the Hmong region of northern Vietnam. This is an area that has reported a number of human deaths from the Rabies disease in the past few years. Rabies is a very serious and almost always fatal disease which is spread by the bite of infected mammals such as dogs and foxes. Travellers to areas of high risk should speak to one of our travel nurses at either of our Travel Clinics in London for further advice about the vaccination for this disease.

Pakistan

The number of reported cases of Polio this year in Pakistan has reached 77. Cases of the disease which had previously been under control have been steadily on the increase since vaccination programmes had been halted in some parts of the country. Travellers to this region should ensure that they are up-to-date with their routine vaccinations to avoid contracting and spreading this disease.

Somalia

There are reports of a Measles Outbreak in Somalia in the horn of Africa. Over 1,000 cases have been reported during the past month. The outbreak is mainly affecting children, and many of these children are already malnourished and in poor health, making this outbreak particularly alarming. The disease which has almost been eradicated in many parts of the world is spreading in this region due to lack of medical facilities and vaccination programmes.

Brazil

People travelling to this years World Cup Football finals in Brazil are reminded to practice mosquito avoidance measures to avoid being infected with Dengue Fever. There is a high risk of contracting this disease in three of the host cities: Fortaleza, Recife, and Natal. Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, and Manaus have been identified as areas of medium risk. Travellers should cover exposed skin by wearing long sleeves and long trousers and use insect repellant such as DEET 50% to avoid being bitten by the mainly daytime biting mosquito that spreads the Dengue Fever disease.